No other day in the year represents the set phrase “shopping spree” better than Black Friday. Originated in the United States, the popularity of the Friday after Thanksgiving Day has skyrocketed in the world over the past years, and Spain is no exception to this global trend. According to the latest surveys, about 65 percent of the Spaniards that were intending to take part in this shopping event in 2024 were interested in buying fashion products. In the fashion industry, Inditex was by far the largest fashion company by revenue in Spain in 2023. Black Friday in Europe With only a few exceptions, the participation rate on Black Friday only increased across Europe between 2017 and 2018, with Romania topping the list with about 71 percent of consumers that took part in 2018. Ukraine is, in contrast, the European country that least participated in this shopping event at slightly over 30 percent of consumers, although this figure represents quite a leap from a shy 18.6 percent registered the previous year. In terms of discount rates, the list is led by the United Kingdom, with an average discount rate of 63 percent off all products for sale in 2018. That same year, Spain featured an average discount rate of 47 percent. The importance of Black Friday in the fashion industry Black Friday has become an extremely important event for the world’s leading retailers. In Spain, for instance, the sales of fashion and luxury items on Black Friday is over 400 percent higher than any other day of the year, representing one of the highest percentage changes across Europe. Generally speaking, the fashion industry has experienced a gradual increase in the number of online shoppers over the last few years, reaching 13.5 million online shoppers in 2022 as opposed to only 5.5 million in 2014.

In 2024, Cyber Monday was the online shopping day with the highest e-commerce conversion rate in the United States during the holiday season, regardless of device. While the event registered a desktop conversion rate of seven percent, mobile was around 4.6 percent. Following closely behind was Black Friday, with a conversion rate of approximately 6.5 percent for desktop and 3.3 percent for mobile.

In 2024, the best-selling category was clothing, with a revenue of around **** billion euros. Other leading categories included electronics and communications, as well as household goods and appliances. Shopping paradise The revenue figures for these product groups were most likely significantly influenced by the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown in Germany, with online shopping replacing some former brick-and-mortar purchases. Online shopping in Germany has enjoyed consistent success even before the pandemic due to its many convenient features for the customer. To name a few: 24/7 availability, browsing and buying independently of a location (whether in terms of the retailer or the shopper), home delivery, and the opportunity to compare various retailers easily. When it came to shopping events such as Black Friday, the overwhelming majority of German shoppers made their purchases online. Only ***** percent of consumers went to physical stores in 2024, whilst almost ** percent shopped online. Amazon rules Certain online shops are especially popular in Germany, recording impressive revenue figures year after year. Like most of the world, Germans also shop on Amazon. In fact, when looking at Amazon’s net sales, Germany was the second-largest market, generating almost ** billion U.S. dollars in 2024. The convenience of Amazon’s platform is what makes it so attractive to consumers. There are a variety of different categories from which consumers can make purchases, such as electronics, homeware, and even fashion. The popularity of Amazon is also reflected in consumer opinions. When surveyed about favorite online stores, Amazon came out on top, with ** percent of respondents having bought something from there in the past 12 months. Ebay and Temu followed in the ranking.

In 2024, holiday retail sales in the United States were forecast to reach about ***** billion U.S. dollars. This figure was given as a conservative value; retail sales over the holiday season was projected to be between ***** billion U.S. dollars to *** billion U.S. dollars in 2024. Holiday retail sales have risen substantially since the turn of the century, with holiday retail sales amounting to approximately *** billion U.S. dollars back in 2002. Holiday retail sales are a fraction of total retail sales in the United States which were around ************** U.S. dollars in 2023. Holiday season e-commerce is also on the rise, with increasing numbers of retailers and consumers going digital. What makes up the winter holiday season in the United States? The winter holiday season includes shopping occasions such as Thanksgiving weekend - which is made up of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday, Super Saturday – the last Saturday before Christmas, and Christmas itself. Thanksgiving weekend is a very popular time for consumers to partake in holiday shopping. In 2022, over *** million U.S. consumers shopped on Black Friday. Leading companies in U.S. retail The domestic retail market in the United States is very competitive, with many companies recording substantial retail sales. Walmart, a retail chain offering low prices and a wide selection of products, is the leading retailer in the United States. Amazon, The Kroger Co., Costco, and Target are a selection of other leading U.S. retailers.

In March 2024, Amazon.com had approximately 2.2 billion combined web visits, up from 2.1 billion visits in February. In the fourth quarter of 2024, Amazon’s net income amounted to approximately 20 billion U.S. dollars. Online retail in the United States Online retail in the United States is constantly growing. In the third quarter of 2023, e-commerce sales accounted for 15.6 percent of retail sales in the United States. During that quarter, U.S. retail e-commerce sales amounted to over 284 billion U.S. dollars. Amazon is the leading online store in the country, in terms of e-commerce net sales. Amazon.com generated around 130 billion U.S. dollars in online sales in 2022. Walmart ranked as the second-biggest online store, with revenues of 52 billion U.S. dollars. The king of Black Friday In 2023, Amazon ranked as U.S. shoppers' favorite place to go shopping during Black Friday, even surpassing in-store purchasing. Nearly six out of ten consumers chose Amazon as the number one place to go find the best Black Friday deals. Similar findings can be observed in the United Kingdom (UK), where Amazon is also ranked as the preferred Black Friday destination.

In case prices for goods and services go up significantly in 2023, over ** percent of consumers around the world said they would shop less in general and cut down on spending as a response. A fifth of survey respondents said they would look for and purchase cheaper and better value products. Less than **** percent of those surveyed worldwide believed inflation would be unlikely to impact their habits. What does inflation look like? The world entered a new inflation crisis in 2021, driven by a confluence of factors including the COVID-19 pandemic which restricted global supply chains, and the Russian-Ukraine war which exacerbated food and energy shortages. In 2022, global inflation hit **** percent, the highest annual increase in decades. The rate of inflation is estimated to remain high in the near future, at around *** percent in 2023 and *** percent in 2024. Inflation dominated the list of most important problems facing the world according to a survey conducted in October 2023 – leading ahead of poverty and social inequality, crime and violence, and unemployment. In a global consumer trends survey, the majority of respondents said that inflation impacted them completely or a lot – for instance, ***** in ** respondents in the United States admitted they had been seriously impacted. Inflation’s impact on the holidays The end-of-year holiday season is typically regarded as a period of increased retail spending, driven by a series of major shopping events such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday, as well as the public holidays Thanksgiving and Christmas. However, inflation has put a damper on the holiday cheer, with consumers expressing their intentions to cut back spending amid the cost-of-living crisis. In 2022, a significant share of consumers in Europe said they planned to cut at least some related expenses. In fact, ** percent of respondents in the United Kingdom planned to cut all expenses related to Black Friday and Christmas.